


Alternate Route

by EmrysAmbrosia



Category: Naruto (Masashi Kishimoto), Naruto TV Series × Naruto Manga Series (Masashi Kishimoto)
Genre: F/M, No kids gloves. I ain't gonna pull stops. Believe it.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2020-05-15 01:29:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19285327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmrysAmbrosia/pseuds/EmrysAmbrosia
Summary: The theory of the butterfly effect. A slight change in the direction and magnitude of the wind can blow a butterfly way off its intended course. Something someone does or does not do can cause an entire history to change. Simply by encountering someone or not meeting said person will decide how your future will turn out to be. In this story we'll see how the butterfly effect will affect a super hyperactive Uzumaki as he traverses the te wild forests known as life.





	1. First Encounters

It was recess at a certain academy in the Hidden Leaf Village. The students were happily chatting up to each other while some played. However not everyone was enjoying the free time they were having.

Sitting idly on a swing attached to a tree branch located at a distance away from the other students was another student. 

The student in question was a blond boy with sky-blue eyes and strange whisker-like-marks on his cheeks. His eyes were on a group of boys playing "tag" and it saddened him that he was not a part of the game.

It wasn't that he was shy or something along that line. No. He was actually the opposite. He was a boisterous and energetic boy who was borderline hyperactive.

The problem was even if he asked to they would outright refuse him or/and insult him to boot.

This is how it had always been for him. Even before he had enough brain cells to think with, he had always known he was hated by the villagers. Particularly the civilian population of the village. He didn't know the reason for their hatred but...it was how it was.

It began with the adult at first who later influenced their children to not be friendly with him. He thought that maybe if he joined the ninja academy he could at least make some friends there but..oh boy...was he surly mistaken. 

The treatment there was the same. Both the staff and student body treated him like some sort of plague.

He paused for a moment and blinked. "What's a plague?" he asked himself.

He thought over the word for a minute or two and came up with no results. Tsk! He was seven years old. It wasn’t necessary for him to understand every single word he came across. No one was going to blame him for it. Hm! Actually they probably would and call him dumb or something like that.

He sighed and halted his thoughts and resumed his staring of his playing and chatty fellow students. He could stare. He could look. He could never join though and such was his life. The life of Uzumaki Naruto. Orphan of Konohagakure no Sato.

When he noticed that reces was almost over he jumped of the swing and made to leave when all of a sudden a mass of yellow was in his face.

"Hey! You."

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
Her eyebrows twitched for the upteenth time. She was pissed. More than pissed. She had been staring at the blond boy for some time now. It didn't take much for him to piss her off. 

One thing Yamanaka Ino hated more than sweat was people who tried as much as possible to not look like lost puppies when in fact they were lost puppies. Hell it hasn't been more than six a year ago when she saved one. Was she inclined to save this one too.

Her brows twitched again.Tsk! She wasn't going to have her day spoiled by the sour look on some kid's face.

"Sakura, come on. I need to go teach that boy some lesson." She declared and stormed out the classroom.

Her companion, a pink-haired girl, was startled when her best suddenly stood up and unceremoniously stormed off. She didn't even understand what led to this development. 

She had been happily chatting with Ino alongside some of their friends but the other girls had excused themselves leaving the two friends alone in their part of the class. After some minutes into their conversation Ino seemed to be distracted by by the sight of a boy who was sitting on a swing. 

They could see the boy because the window they were sitting next to overlooked said swing. The boy appeared to be alone and had a pained look in his eyes. Something the pink-haired girl, Sakura could relate with. Ino was quick to comment on that. The platinum blonde then went on a tirade about lonely idiots and lost puppies. It wasn't until Ino was on her feet and storming off that the pinkete realized her friends intentions. 

"Sakura, are you coming?" she heard Ino call her name.

"I'm coming." the pinkette replied and ran after her friend. . In less than three minutes the girls were standing directly in front of the boy.

"Hey! You." The Yamanaka said with both hands on her hips .

'The boy', Uzumaki Naruto was startled by the sudden attention but was quick to regain composure.

"Me?" he asked pointing to himself.

"No. Not you. I'm talking to the monkey in the trees. Of course you. Who else is here apart from us?" was the girl's sarcastic answer.

"Uh...okay..so what do you want from me?" Naruto asked slowly. He was trying as much possible not to sound irritated.

"What I want from you is to stop brooding with that disgusting expression on your face. You're spoiling my day." The platinum blonde face was veiled in annoyance.

Naruto frowned. Who was this girl anyway and why did she care if he was brooding. "I don't like her" was the conclusion the blond came after the brief exchange. He shrugged and hopped off the swing. He didn't have to deal with this blonde annoyance and besides it was almost recess over.

"Where are you going. I'm not done talking to you." Ino said in half-surprise/half-annoyance as Naruto walked past her.

"It's almost recess over, blondie. Go back to your class. I'm off to mine." was his answered without looking back.

Ino's gained a tickmark. "My name is Yamanaka Ino, stupid. You didn't even give me your name. That is not gentlemanly." She shouted after the blond.

"Whatever." Naruto muttered as he walked out range of her field of view.

"Hmm...Ino huh? That name sounds familiar. Where have I heard that before."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
"Ino, can you answer the question for us?" The class instructor, Umino Iruka asked as a certain blonde with pupiless blue eyes stood up to do as she was asked.

In his usual corner one Uzumaki Naruto sighed." Of course. Her name sounded familiar 'cause I'm in the same class with her. Go figure." he thought. Naruto was sitting in the exact seat Sakura and Ino had been in before they had approached him. Naruto studied his fellow student even as she took her seat after answering the instructor's question. 

What was her problem anyway. With the way she approached him, you would've thought she owned the world. Spoiling her day my ass. The blond shook his head before relaxing. He was done for the day. Of course the teacher was still going on about ninja stuff the he, Naruto, couldn't be bothered with. He only prayed that he wasn't found out. Iruka-sensei had one bad temper. With that said he laid his on the table and drifted off into the blissful state beyond activity known as "sleep".

Only in that state was he able to travel through and into the world called dreamland. Naruto has been to many dreamlands and this one was the weirdest by far because in this dreamland, on the streets of Konoha was the sight that made the blond's mouth water in delight.

There was ramen everywhere. The streets were made of noodles. So were the houses and the stores and...damn, even the clouds were made of the swirl-shaped topping. The weirdest part of all were the two-legged bowls of ramen with eyes,ears and mouths that were out on the streets marching through while singing "the ramen song" Ayame-nee had taught some few days ago. Now that was weird but hey, this was his dream right? So he could basically do whatever he wanted to. And in classic Naruto style, he jumped into the parade and joined the singing. He reveled in it.

As he matched, he saw a figure in the distance.

What is Iruka-sensei doing in my dream. Did someone invite him over? Naruto wondered. The instructor run towards him.

"Naruto!" He screamed as he neared the blond. The blond instantly froze and raised a brow. 

"Huh?" Was all he could think before the instructor raised his fist and brought it down his head.

The seven year old boy yelped and screwed his eyes shut in pain while rubbing the top of his heas to relieve the pain.

When he did open his eyes however he realized he was no longer in dreamland but back to reality. He heard the sounds of laughter which were undoubtedly aimed at. He massaged the obvious bump on his head as the academy instructor loomed over him.

"Naruto what have I told about sleeping while I'm teaching? Even Shikamaru is wide awake and he's a Nara." 

Naruto's brow twitched as the class continued to laugh at his expense. That blonde from earlier was laughing as well. She had her hands cupped over her mouth, making a futile attempt to contain her laughter. Naruto scowled.

"You seem not to be interested in my lessons so I request you humbly step and remain outside until I'm ready to call you back in. We'll discuss your punishment after class. See me then."

From the corner of his right eye, Naruto saw the blonde, Ino, wink at him. His scowl deepened.

"Everyone should just drop dead." he muttered under his breath.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
When school was ended, Naruto was made to mop the class as his punishment. He did his work in silence and uttered the occasional curses in intervals.

"By now every parent should have come for their kids." he thought and continued to work in silence. Of course, him being as hyperactive as he was he didn't stay silent for long.

Ramen, Ramen, Ramen,  
The best food in the world,  
The food fit for gods,  
And though I didn't have any money,  
I bought and ate before I thought...

And just like that he burst out singing the Ramen Song with a big smile on his face as he continued to mop the room. However it wasn't long before his ears picked up the sound of footsteps coming from behind him. Guess I was wrong. There are still people around. The blonde thought before turning to find out who the sounds of approaching footsteps belonged to. His brows twitched on seeing who it was. 

"Oh! It's you. What do you want?" He said and turned back to continue his mopping. Ino for her part smirked at his reaction. Exactly what she had been expecting.

"The name is not 'you'. It's Ino and instead of that expression, you can show one that tells how privileged you feel to be graced by the presence of two beautiful girls." The blonde smirked.

"Whatever." Naruto made an eye roll at her dramatic tone. It was only after Ino's declaration that he noticed the presence of her pink-haired associate.

Sakura wasn't quite sure what her friend was up to. She had been with Ino waiting for the other girl's father to come pick them up per routine, when she decided to tell the blonde of some of the things she had heard concerning Naruto. According to some of the academy instructors, Naruto was a good for nothing boy who everyone should stay away from. He was a troublemaker who constantly pulled pranks and made the lives of those around him miserable. Sakura had even heard some of the adults refer to him as the "demon brat".She had told Ino all this as a warning but much to her dismay all it did was pique the Yamanaka's curiosity.

The frown on Naruto's face caused the pinkette to take a step back. Apparently Naruto was also a rather person and had been seen pummeling more than one student at more than one point in time.

"What do you want blondie?" Naruto demanded causing Ino to raise a brow.

"You do realize that you're blond also, right?" she said in a voice tinged with amusement. Naruto shrugged.

"Your point?"

"Don't you think Iruka-sensei was too harsh on you. I've never seen him make someone to mop the entire room before."

Naruto nodded while he continued on to complete the mopping.

"I'm special." he muttered. Ino blinked at that response.

"How so?" She cocked her head to the side.

"He's kinda my like my brother figure, so he sees it as his job to straighten me once in a while. He's all I have." The last part was said in a whisper so small you'd have to strain your ears to hear it. Ino was close enough to not have that problem. She heard him clear enough.

"What do you mean he's all you have? What about your parents?"

Naruto's grip on the mop tightened even as his body tensed.

"Can you please leave me to work so I can finish quickly. You're annoying me." He snapped. Ino almost jumped at his sudden tone. Her eyes widened when the meaning of his earlier statement sunk in. She raised her hands up in surrender.

"Look I'm sorry for getting you worked up, o.k. Geez! Calm down. You would think I bit your head off." She apologized. 

Sakura stood behind Ino, not having uttered a word. She was satisfied staying invisible to the two blonds.

"What do you want anyway?" Naruto asked. Annoyance clear in his voice.

"I wanted to ask what you were doing on the swing looking like a lost puppy." Ino answered.

"Lost puppy?" Naruto raised a brow.

"Yeah. You were out sitting there looking all alone even with all the other kids out there playing. Why?"

"I was alone 'cause I wanted to. Now bugg off." He shrugged in an uncaring manner but deep down his heart clenched at the memory.

"No you weren't. You were alone because you didn't have any friends. That's what. Why are you being mean anyway?" Ino frowned at his antagonistic demeanor.

"A better question is why do you pretend to care that I don't have any friends."

"Maybe because I actually do care." Ino shot back. Naruto ignored her and mopping furiously. He wanted to finish quickly and leave the loud girl.

"Why don't you even try to make make friends with the other kids. It may help to at least try." she urged.

Naruto continued to ignore her l, though he heard every word she said if the angry expression on his face was anything to go by. He gripped the mop tightly and increased the pace of his mopping.

"Maybe that's the reason you don't have any friends. You never try to do so. That's why you are alone. I think you should also stop pranking people. That way, maybe the adults might..."

SNAP!!

The mop handle broke in half. Naruto whirled around to face Ino. His face was marred with fury.

"Who are you to tell me what I've done and not done. You think it's fun being alone and that I like it. You think that I don't try to make friends. Well you're dead wrong. It's just that no one wants to be friends with me. Even the kids our age don't wanna 'cause the grown-ups tell them to. I just can't make them be friends with me. And it has nothing to do with my pranks. They hated me long before I began pulling pranks." He shouted with all the anger he could muster. His face was coloured red with fury.

Sakura had made a silent scream in response to Naruto's outburst and without thinking grabbed Ino and pulled her back and away from Naruto's reach. She was afraid that he might lash out like the she'd heard he was prone to. Naruto noticed her reaction and instantly knew what was going through her head. He's seen this kinda reaction to him before. 

With his back to the girls he clicked his tongue and picked the mop and the water-filled bucket up. He scanned for any spot he might have missed. Not seeing one he turned and strode past the two girls.

"You're all the same, same as the rest of the village, always trying to make me out as the bad guy. Bozos. "

With that said Naruto stalked off and made his way out off the academy premise leaving the two girls alone. The two stood alone in the corridor.

"I told you talking to him would be a waste of time. He's just like the rumors says. He's..." Sakura's rambling ceased upon noticing the solemn look on her friend's face.

"Ino? What's wrong? He didn't hurt you and I didn't see, did he?"

Ino didn't answer and continued in her silence. After a while she began to walk, seemingly out of the academy and homeward. Even as Sakura called out to her, Ino didn't answer.


	2. Sound Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay. so from now onwards I'll keep the updates coming in a stream a stream. no overly extended breaks.

It was a bright new morning in the village of Konohagakure as its populace went about their daily activities with smiles on their faces.

 

However in a certain household a woman was not feeling particularly cheerful. Yamanaka Yorino had been frowning ever since her husband came back from picking their daughter, Ino, from the academy. Despite the smile on her daughter's lips, Yorino could clearly see the falsehood of it.

 

Now Yorino may not be a Yamanaka in the traditional sense that she was not a ninja, but from having been married to one and living among the lot of them for nine years, she's learned a thing or two about psychology and reading people.

 

Most people would have some difficulty and would not be able point out a false smile at first glance, but for a Yamanaka it was pretty easy. That was how Yorino was able to notice the sadness that hid behind her daughter's smile. She had talked to her husband about it that night in bed but he said to wait on it until the following day. If nothing had changed then they would confront Ino about it.

 

The following came and yet still no changes. Ino came down from her room as chipper as she always was every morning. She sat down for dinner and began to eat at her usual pace, but her face face suddenly soured as if she had remembered something foul.

 

Yorino sat across from her daughter and stared at her as she picked at her food slowly. There was no enthusiasm in her like she had every other morning. 

 

"Honey, what's wrong?"

 

Ino's attention suddenly jerked to her mother. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it shut. Her jaws clenched tight.

 

"Yes, sweetie, is something the matter. You are usually quiet." Inoichi, her husband, asked with concern in his voice.

 

Ino looked at both her parents and smiled. Fake. Yorino mentally screamed.

 

"Nothing. Just thinking is all."

 

Inoichi was not impressed with the lie and he made it known.

 

"I am the head of TI Division not to mention the head of the Yamanaka clan. I can smile a lie a mile away. Now, tell me what is bothering you?" 

 

Ino winced at being caught. What was she thinking anyway? That she could lie to her father? No she could never lie to him, though she had wished he would let the matter go.

 

The girl debated wether to share her troubles with her parents or to keep it to herself. She knew that if she did not tell him, he would continue to pester her until she finally came clean.

 

"It's about not about me actually. It's about a..." she paused. What was Naruto to her anyway?

 

"It's about a classmate of mine. His name is Uzumaki Naruto."

 

The name brought a surprise to both parents face.

 

"Naruto?" Yorino asked and Ino nodded. The familiarity with which her mother mentioned Naruto's name didn't surprise her. Naruto was a serial prank artist and she wouldn't put it past him to be known by the majority of Konoha if not the entirety of the village.

 

Inoichi frowned. What about Naruto that had his daughter so bothered.

 

"What about him? he asked.

 

"So you do know him." Ino observed.

 

"Who in this village doesn't know about him. He's kinda infamous for being a headache for the general populace. So, what about?" he grunted.

 

Ino was now uncomfortable with broaching the subject further after hearing her father's comment. Yorino noticed the hesitation and discretely jabbed her husband in the side. Inoichi merely grunted a silent apology to his wife.

 

"Ino did something happen with Naruto?" Yorino asked with concern. Ino nodded. She didn't know what to say. From their tone she knew that they held no animosity towards her classmate. It was with neutrality they spoke of him.

 

"Did he hurt you or something?" Inoichi said with a frown forming on his face. Ino shook her head at him.

 

"No. Kinda like the other way round." Shr said quietly. Her answer got both parents to raise their respective brows.

 

"I might have said a thing or two that I probably shouldn't have said." Her shoulders slumped. Yorino and Inoichi glanced at each other. They finally turned to look their daughter.

 

"What happened? Tell me." he said/demanded.

 

Ino contemplated not telling her parents about what had happened. In the end she submitted and spilled the beans. When she was done her mother sighed.

 

Yorino knew the boy. Everyone old enough to remember a certain incident some seven years ago knew who the boy was. Suffice to say he was a village pariah and blamed for something that was not even his fault. She sympathized with him for it. The fact that he was an orphan made her heart clench whenever she caught sight of him. 

 

The villagers' reason for mistreating him was unjustified and it was a surprise not only to her but to any psychologist worth their salt that he had yet to break under all that pressure. Any time she saw the boy he was either running from angry victims of his pranks or taking a casual walk through the village. All with a carefree smile on his lips. He was always in one mischievous adventure or another and more often than not having a team of genin and/or chunin chasing after him.

 

She knew of course that the pranks were all an attempt by the boy to garner attention. Any attention at all, what with him being openly glared at or outright ignored. She would've thought such behavior was unhealthy had she not known that he truly enjoyed the pranks. It brought a smile on her face for some reason she couldn't explain. Meanwhile as all these thoughts run through Yorino's head, Inoichi held his daughter in a gaze.

 

"So now you realize that you were wrong to say the things you said and that even the manner with which they were not in any way appropriate, am I right?"

 

Ino hang her head in shame. Inoichi nodded his head in satisfaction. Good. She realizes she was in the wrong and is ashamed of her actions.

 

"Ino, you should never judge someone you know nothing about. More importantly you shouldn't judge based on what other people say about them. The best source of information you can have is your own set observations. Never take what people say about others at face value even if you trust said people. Even us your parents. Always make your observations first before comparing it to what other people think. Then from there you make your own conclusions." 

 

Inp nodded. She knew that Naruto was a troublemaker and a loudmouth but she was smart enough to know that that wasn't something her dad would want to hear and so she wisely kept her mouth shut.

 

"Sweetheart now that you realize that you've misjudged Naruto and probably hurt him with your words, what are you going to do to make up for your mistake hmm?" Yorino raised spoke softly.

 

"An apology?" Ino gulped. It never occurred to her to actually try to apologize but now that she think about it, apologizing for her words was the right course of action. 

 

"Good. That is a start." Inoichi approved.

 

"But what if he won't even hear me?"

 

"He has friends, right? Get one of them to help you out", her father suggested.

 

"He has no friends...I think." Ino furrowed her brows in thought.

 

Her declaration surprised her parents.

 

"He doesn't?" Yorino was more surprised than Inoichi. She had always seen the boy with a big smile or grinning at something only he knew of. She had always thought that he at least had someone to occasionally chat with.

 

"Well...sometimes I see him hanging around with Shikamaru and Chouji and sometimes Kiba but I don't think that makes them friends. More like chat mates. If he has friends outside the academy then I don't know." Ino recalled.

 

"Oh." Yorino sighed sadly.

 

"Well Ino you can remedy his "friendlessness", can't you?", Inoichi suddenly said causing the two females to look at him in surprise. 

 

Ino thought over her father's suggestion. Yes, she could help Naruto with that particular problem and if he proclaimed that he didn't want to be friends with her then he could suck it up. A smile crept up her lips. Yes. That is a sound advice.


End file.
